Fuji X: Tips & Tricks

[Olaf W.]

A lot of hints concerning the Fuji X Cameras can be found in this and other forums. Some are given as answers to questions  others are posted as results of just exploring the cameras. Not everything is printed in the manual or is at least not to be found there easily. On the other side, these hints are not quickly accessible since they are hidden inside (long) threads.

Beginning now, we will pick up hints from different sources and place them in this special thread which will be complemented from time to time.

We are sure this will help everyone using their Fuji X cameras. Please leave us feedback or additional hints to add to our collection. Thanks to everyone who gave these hints in threads of our forum.

As far as possible, these hints are verified using an X-T2 or an X100F.

• AFL Button not working
  If the AFL (Autofokus Lock) Button does not show any response it is most likely due to active face recognition. Disable face recognition and AF-L will work again.
   
• Shutter not working with adapted lens
  Inside the menu there is a setting SHOOT WITHOUT LENS. Turn it on to shoot with an adapted lens.
   
• Flash not working
  Most likely the electronic shutter has been activated. Only the mechanical shutter supports flashing. Go to the menu setting SHUTTER TYPE and select MS or MS+ES (on some models it might be necessary to select MS). 
   
• Can’t select ISO100
  Another issue when using the electronic shutter, ISO setting starts with 200. Use the mechanical shutter for ISO100.
  Generally, it is not recommended to use ISO100, since the sensor is designed for ISO200 (I will spare you the technical details). Rather dim the light reaching the sensor by using the ND filter wich is implemented on many models, or use an attachable ND filter.
   
• Bands in the photo or fringed edges on moving targets
  The electronic shutter is responsible here, too. Using it can result in interferences with some light sources and give you banding in your photos. The banding is not necessarily visible in the viewfinder or on the display. Rather use the mechanical shutter when shooting with artificial light.
  Another issue of the electronic shutter is called „rolling shutter effect“. To put it simple, it takes too long to read out the complete sensor while objects are moving fast. Again, use the mechanical shutter with fast moving objects, e.g. when doing sports photography. If you need to dim the light reaching the sensor to go get slower (mechanical) shutter speeds use attachable ND filters and/or the built in ND filter.
   
• Autofocus not working anymore
  If the little red box resists to become green even though there is definitely enough light for the autofocus system, there are two possibilities:
  • The little switch on the front (on the side of the X100) is set to M (manual focus). Switch it to S or C.
  • The lens stopped working properly (autofocus function crashed somehow). Put the little switch to M and back so S or C and most likely the lens will work properly again. Alternatively, switch the camera off and on, but this will take more time than the first procedure.
     
• Locking D-Pad and Q button
  Press and hold the MENU/OK button until a lock symbol and ON appear. This locks the D-Pad and the Q button. All other buttons are still operational, even the D-Pad works when you go the the menu.
  To reactivate D-Pad and Q button press and hold MENU/OK again until the lock symbol and OFF appear.
  If you own an X-H1 you can configure the buttons which will be locked using LOCK SETTING inside the menu.
   
• Deactivating the annoying Q-Button
  On some models the Q button is placed quite adversely so you might press it accidentally. Just deactivate it using the procedure described above (lock cursor buttons and Q button).
  Until now only with the X-H1, you can disable just the Q button with the LOCK SETTING.
   
• The viewfinder is not working / the display is not working
  Most likely you pushed the button VIEW MODE. It’s quite easy doing so accidentally on some models. This results in changing the default behaviour, which is switching between viewfinder and display automatically (using an eye sensor next to the viewfinder).
  So, if the viewfinder or the display seems not to be working tip the button VIEW MODE until an eye symbol and SENSOR appear on the display or viewfinder, respectively. And be careful not to trigger the eye sensor with your hand during this procedure (as a left handed person, this happens to me all the time).
   
• The camera appears to be dead
  If your camera doesn’t do anything after switching it on and the battery is definitely charged you may have loaded a defective or incompatible SD card. Unload the card(s) and try to switch the camera on. If the camera is working now servicing is most likely not necessary, just use another card.
  Another option is to remove the battery and wait for about half a minute before putting it back in. Try without inserted SD-Card first. If it works the camera just needed a kind of reset, like other computers do 😉
   
• Dead or stuck pixels
  If the viewfinder or the display (or the resulting photos) show some dead (black) or stuck (coloured) pixels, they should be gone after a while since the camera is doing a pixel remapping by itself from time to time. You can also start the remapping process from the menu on recent models. If the stuck or dead pixels resist this process servicing is needed. However, not all models do support pixel remapping. 

• Indicator lamp blinks green and orange after shot
  Probably you have IMAGE DISPLAY set to Continuous. Change the setting in the Menu under SCREEN SETTING.

If you'd like to add or correct something, feel free to comment.

[Doug Pardee]

On 9/29/2019 at 6:21 AM, Olaf W. said:

Can’t select ISO100

• Another issue when using the electronic shutter, ISO setting starts with 200. Use the mechanical shutter for ISO100.
  Generally, it is not recommended to use ISO100, since the sensor is designed for ISO200 (I will spare you the technical details). Rather dim the light reaching the sensor by using the ND filter wich is implemented on many models, or use an attachable ND filter.

• The use of DR-Auto, DR200, and DR400 can raise the minimum ISO allowed.
• The 16-megapixel models can only do ISO 100 in JPEG mode, not in Raw or Raw+JPEG.

Quote

• Autofocus not working anymore
  If the little red box resists to become green even though there is definitely enough light for the autofocus system, there are two possibilities:
  • The little switch on the front (on the side of the X100) is set to M (manual focus). Switch it to S or C.
  • The lens stopped working properly (autofocus function crashed somehow). Put the little switch to M and back so S or C and most likely the lens will work properly again. Alternatively, switch the camera off and on, but this will take more time than the first procedure.

• Lens clutch set to manual-focus mode (for the lens models with a clutch).
• Manual-focus lens fitted.

[George_P]

Good initiative from Olaf. Highly qualified technical insight, as usual, from Doug. Cheers. 

[le boecere]

I'd never read this little essayette, for some reason.  It's GOLDEN for us Fujifilm rookies, and I'll probably be coming back to it, often.  Thanks for taking the time to post it.

[skipcooney]

Here is a feature that caused me some grief. If you select Auto for Dynamic Range, the LCD and EVF will no longer display shutter speed and aperture except when the shutter button is pressed halfway. It took me a while to figure out why shutter speed and aperture were missing from the display.

[Jim White]

Thanks, this is just what I needed. While I've been shooting with Fuji now for several years, I often get stumped by settings I rarely use. I recently purchased a manual lens and had a time figuring out how to set up the camera. I'm sure the other tips will come in handy also, thanks again. Jim White

[Golden Oxen]

Ken Wheeler, who goes by the name of Theoria Apophasis on you tube offers a free book and many videos on this topic that are both free for download and are written by Ken, who is a true expert on the Fujifilm camera line.

He is an amazing teacher, scholar and no doubt a genius.

Recommended highly to Fujifilm enthusiasts who are unaware of this wizard and his expertise in photography.

 

[Archiea]

Hey gang, 

Any guidance on auto image transfer? 

My understanding of this feature: enable it to activate the auto image transfer from the camera to smartphone or tablet when you shut off power to the camera. 

Current problem:

Despite turning "auto transfer off" on the camera, I can see the connection LED light by the thumb rest flicker when I turn off the camera.  The only way to "deactivate" auto transfer is to go into the play menu and select "Image transfer order" and select "reset order" to effectively elect no images... despite the fact that its a fresh card with fresh images that were never selected. 

quetion: what does auto transfer on/off on the camera do if it does NOT seem to turn off the auto transfer.

On the app, auto transfer operates as expected: you can turn if off to not automatically transfer images. 

second question:

What is a proper auto transfer workflow?   I will shoot various days on a card.  ultimately the raws get transferred via a card reader. However often i use the OOC jpgs to share immediately. 

the selection process of what to transfer is a slow one... either on the app or on the camera.  often I just select all on the app and transfer them. This works great on a clean card. however on one with a few days shoots, and i just want to transfer just the past day's, it a tedious process either by selecting on the camera what to auto transfer or on the app on what specific images to select.  On the app you can't seem to drag select for multiple files. 

IF I could use the "Create folder" for each of the days event shoot, have the frames go to a specific folder like "April 3 outdoor", "April 2 indoor", is there a quick way to select the entire FOLDER of images I want to wither auto transfer or on the app transfer?  while requiring a little more organizational work up  front to set up and assign the folder to save it, it would save TREMENDOUSLY in an organized output. 

thanks for reading! 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Archiea

[Archiea]

Easily one of the best resources for new and even season fuji users is Chris Lee's pal2tech youtube channel.  Understanding how to create custom functions, the tech behind the dr100 dr200 and dr400 setting and how to use them (and yes, they affect the RAW file!, he even gives (up) on explaining the fuji app for connecting the the camera to a smart phone... if only to prove that no, you are not insane.. fuji is!

this is one stop shopping for fuji knowledge!  set your brains to RECORD!  Chris Lee's knowledge is not only deep.. its INFECTIOUS! 

https://www.youtube.com/c/pal2tech/videos

Edited April 23, 2021 by Archiea